Chapter 86: Child of Prophecy
Konoha.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves and cast dappled shadows on the ground.
Naruto lay quietly on Renji's large, soft bed, eyes empty and distant.
Images of Sasuke and their days in Team 7 kept looping in his mind.
Naruto's brow tightened. Where had Sasuke gone? Had someone taken him? Was he safe? Sasuke had taken his revenge. Would he come back?
The look in Sasuke's eyes returned to him and left a sharp ache.
Sasuke hadn't even come to see Renji. Did he not miss him at all?
Naruto pressed his face into Renji's pillow.
Since Renji left, Naruto hadn't had the heart to sleep in his own empty room. He stayed at Renji's place instead.
Only here did it feel like Renji was still close.
A few light taps sounded at the window.
Naruto's dim eyes sparked with hope. He jumped up and ran over, but the smile froze when he saw who it was.
"Ah… it's just Kakashi-sensei," he muttered, disappointment heavy in his voice.
Even after so long, he couldn't let go of the hope that Renji would come back.
Reality said otherwise. It was Kakashi, not Renji.
Disappointment washed over him. He turned away, walked back to the bed, lay down, and stared at nothing.
"The Fifth Hokage is calling you. Get ready Naruto," Kakashi said softly as he looked at the boy on the bed. Coming to Renji's place had been the right choice.
Naruto rolled off the mattress, pulled on his shoes, and vaulted out the window. He landed steady on the street.
He fell in step with Kakashi and headed toward the Hokage Building.
Before they reached the office, Naruto saw the huge toads perched on the roof.
"Ah! Gamabunta! Gamakichi!" he called, waving up at them.
"Naruto," Gamabunta answered with a tight smile. Both toads wore odd, guilty looks.
Naruto frowned. "Why are you here this early? Did something big happen?"
Toads didn't show up unless there was a reason.
Naruto's curiosity climbed.
Gamakichi blurted, "Actually—"
Gamabunta cut him off. "Gamakichi, quiet. This is for Lady Tsunade."
If Naruto heard it here, they wouldn't be able to handle what came next.
Gamakichi clamped his mouth shut.
The way they dodged his eyes only deepened Naruto's unease. A bad feeling settled in his chest and wouldn't move.
"What's going on?" he pressed.
Kakashi glanced back. "Enough. Let's go."
Naruto swallowed his questions and followed him into the office.
Sakura was already there. When Naruto stepped in, everyone looked at him at once.
Their looks felt strange, like they were holding back a hard truth. The air was so heavy he almost wanted to turn and leave.
"This is Lord Fukasaku, the elder Toad Sage who taught Jiraiya Sage Mode," Shizune said, breaking the silence.
A small toad with a long white beard sat beside Tsunade. Naruto's eyes widened. He had seen the sage once but didn't know he was Ero-sennin's teacher.
"Why is the Toad Sage here for me?" Naruto asked. Normally Ero-sennin would come himself.
Fukasaku narrowed his eyes, thinking. After a moment he said, slow and careful, "This matter… I don't quite know where to begin."
He fell quiet, troubled.
Time stretched. Finally Fukasaku made up his mind.
"In short, I must tell you this first." He drew a breath. "Jiraiya-boy has died in battle."
The words hit the room like a thunderclap.
Silence spread and swallowed everything. For Naruto, it felt like pins driven into his heart. It hurt to breathe.
"Huh?" Naruto stared, lost. "What… what are you saying? I don't understand."
He shook his head hard, like he could shake the words out.
He stood there, stunned, as if lightning had struck him. It felt like a bad dream or a cruel prank.
Ero-sennin wasn't an ordinary ninja. He was one of the Legendary Sannin. How could someone like that die?
Impossible. It couldn't be.
But when Naruto looked up, the grief in Tsunade, Sakura, Kakashi, and Shizune's eyes broke the last of his hope.
"It was sudden… but there is no doubt," Fukasaku said. He sighed, helpless.
"Not long ago, rumors said the Akatsuki leader was hiding in Amegakure. Jiraiya-boy decided to go see for himself."
Fukasaku's gaze grew solemn.
"The Akatsuki leader is in Amegakure?" Sakura said, shocked.
Kakashi frowned. "That place is tightly sealed. It's hard to get in. The village is isolated."
"That's true," Fukasaku nodded. "But Jiraiya-boy is skilled in infiltration. That's why he went."
His eyes dimmed. "It's a pity that he could not see the leader with his own eyes."
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: +5,000]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: +5,000]
[Chakra (169,835,002 / 200,000,000)]
"Then what happened to Lord Jiraiya?" Sakura asked. If he never saw the leader, how did he die?
Fukasaku looked around the room. "He met a ninja who should have been dead… Hasumi Maki."
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: +5,000]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: +5,000]
[Chakra (169,840,002 / 200,000,000)]
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: +5,000]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: +5,000]
[Chakra (169,845,002 / 200,000,000)]
The office went still. Everyone trembled. Their pupils tightened.
"Impossible. That can't be true."
Sakura burst out, upset, "We sealed Hasumi Maki's body ourselves. How is this possible?"
Tears spilled down her cheeks before she could finish. Her lips shook. Her voice broke.
Renji's sacrifice felt like it had been for nothing.
Naruto clenched his teeth. His face had gone dark.
Fukasaku went on. "Even Jiraiya-boy didn't want to believe it. But the truth is cruel. When he got trapped, he used the Summoning Technique and we escaped. Not long after, I could feel it clearly… Jiraiya-boy had fallen."
Pain crossed Fukasaku's eyes.
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: +5,000,000]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: +5,000,000]
[Chakra (174,845,002 / 200,000,000)]
Hasumi Maki… so he was still alive.
Then what about Renji? Was he alive?
What was happening? The blue-haired Root ninja Naruto had seen… was that Renji?
His head throbbed. He shook it hard and looked at Tsunade.
"Did you send him on this mission, Granny Tsunade?" he asked, voice sharp.
Sakura frowned at his tone. Kakashi didn't react.
Tsunade shut her eyes, drew a deep breath, and opened them again. Resolve settled there. "Yes."
Naruto's eyes went wide. "Why would you let him go? You know how Ero-sennin is. How could you let him go alone to a place that dangerous?"
"Enough, Naruto," Kakashi said. "Try to understand the Fifth Hokage's feelings."
The words cooled his temper.
He had only thought of Ero-sennin as his teacher and forgot he was also Tsunade's close friend. He wasn't the only one in pain.
Naruto clenched his fists. "Damn it."
Evil Hasumi Maki lived, and kind Renji had died. Why? Why could someone like Hasumi Maki live?
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: +100,000]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: +100,000]
[Chakra (174,945,002 / 200,000,000)]
Naruto turned and walked out.
"Where are you going, Naruto?" Sakura called.
He didn't stop. Just before he disappeared, his low voice carried back. "If Ero-sennin had become the Fifth Hokage, he never would have let Granny Tsunade take that risk."
The words hit Tsunade hard. She bit her lip and held herself together.
After he left, Fukasaku looked at Tsunade. "About the Child of Prophecy… Jiraiya-boy once thought Renji was the one. With Renji gone and Hasumi Maki alive… perhaps Naruto is the Child of Prophecy."
…
Naruto walked alone through Konoha's busy streets. Old memories—sweet and bitter—rose up.
At some point, the sun set. Golden light fell over the village. It brought him no warmth.
Why was fate this cruel? Why did the people he cared about keep leaving?
That night, Naruto tossed and turned. He lay awake and stared at the ceiling.
Dawn light broke through the clouds.
Naruto stood. Determination filled his eyes. He headed for the Hokage Office.
"I will avenge Renji and Ero-sennin," he said as he came in.
Fukasaku stood waiting. "With your current strength, you cannot defeat Hasumi Maki. Even Jiraiya-boy could not. Where does your confidence come from?"
The words were cold, but Naruto didn't back down.
"Should we give up because the enemy is strong?" The fire in his eyes held steady.
Fukasaku sighed. "I'm not asking you to give up. I don't want you to throw your life away. Fighting Hasumi Maki now would be suicide."
Naruto shook his head. "Even if it costs me my life, I have to try. Even if there's only a sliver of hope, I won't give up."
Fukasaku's mouth lifted a little. "I came for you. I know you want to grow stronger. Naruto-boy, will you train in Sage Mode with me? It may be the key to defeating Hasumi Maki."
Naruto blinked, then his eyes lit. A path toward revenge. He would not refuse.
He nodded hard. "I'll train in Sage Mode with you."
…
ROOT
Renji brought back the "bodies" of Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Sasuke.
They were clones he had made, identical to the real ones. Danzō didn't doubt it. He could not imagine that Sai, sent to watch Renji, had already turned.
Renji held out his hands to Danzō. Each clear palm split open, and a red light showed within.
No one knew that light better than Danzō. His pupils shrank.
He looked past Renji to Sai and the two ROOT members, Nightjar and Owl. "You three. Leave."
"Yes." They stepped out.
Renji said, "This is Uchiha Sasuke's Sharingan. The Sharingan can control Tailed Beasts. If we control the Nine-Tails inside Uzumaki Naruto, a Jinchūriki won't be needed. We'll have a weapon beyond measure. With the Nine-Tails, Konoha won't be at a disadvantage."
It fit Danzō's ambition perfectly.
Renji continued, "According to intel, Akatsuki is about to hunt the Nine-Tails. If they succeed, we can take it from them while they're exposed. They do the dirty work. We avoid the stain of killing a Jinchūriki and gain the people's trust."
"If they fail," he added, "you can become Hokage, lock Uzumaki Naruto away under the name of protection, and control him with the Sharingan. Either way, the result is the same."
Danzō stared at Renji. He said nothing.
The Renji before him seemed too perfect, and that was what scared him. It felt like he had been read clean. And this person was his nominal son.
If Renji meant to betray him, could he be controlled?
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: +10,000]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: +10,000]
[Chakra (174,955,002 / 200,000,000)]
Thankfully, Danzō had already branded him with the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal. This eased his mind. Someone as dangerous as Renji, if left unchecked, could have become a serious threat to Danzō himself.
He let the silence sit, reassured by the seal, and then spoke.
"When Akatsuki attacks Konoha, watch the field. Do not act without my order. No one moves."
"Yes," Renji said. "I'll pass it on."
---
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